Page 5 of For the Love of the Broken Man

People walked through the doors into the bus station lobby, but nobody resembled an eighteen-year-old man. Finally, he saw a tall, slender guy with dark hair and a bright smile carrying an Army rucksack and a paisley print suitcase. He had an older black woman holding his arm as she walked with a cane, and they seemed to be happy in each other’s company.

Dan watched as another woman standing near him walked over to the pair and engaged the young man in a discussion. He stepped forward to listen because he was hoping the normal-looking kid was his pickup.

“Miss Esther, it was nice to meet you. I’ll be working at the Circle C in Holloway, so if you need anything, please call me at the number I gave you, and I’ll do what I can,” the young man told the older woman.

She beamed. “You’re one of a kind, Jase. You call me ifyouneed anything as well. I’ll be with Belinda, but she doesn’t live that far outta town. Take care, baby.” The older woman kissed his cheek. The other woman took the bag from him, and they walked away, leaving the young man alone.

Danny studied the kid, determining he must be the new ranch hand. He was a bit taken aback at the sight of the guy because he was extremely handsome in an oddly familiar way.

When their eyes met, Danny felt his knees nearly buckle under him. The kid was stunning, and it finally clicked in his mind—the young man was a skinnier, less muscular, version of Matthew Collins, his boss at the Circle C.

Danny’s cock began to fill as he caught his breath. He wanted to turn and run—not walk—away, but he was doing a favor for his bosses, so he had to get himself under control and take the guy back with him. There was no running away from it.

He took a deep breath to clear his mind and reached for the young man’s green duffel. “I’m Dan. You must be Jason. How was the trip up? Pretty shitty, I’d reckon? I mean, ridin’ a bus and all.” Dan’s voice came out monotone, a sound that made an appearance when he was nervous.

Danny was confused by the Army duffel in the kid’s grip, but not knowing the full story, he held his judgment. It had the boy’s last name stenciled on the side, which wasn’t what he was expecting.

The memories he didn’t want to confront that morning rushed to the surface, but he pushed them down. The kid didn’t deserve his ire for something that happened to Danny years ago.

“Nice to meet you, Dan. You can call me Jase.”

Danny didn’t see anything to lead him to believe the young man was one of those goth kids he remembered from high school, so he sighed in relief. Maybe the kid was okay?

Danny nodded and headed toward the bus station exit, hoping Jase would follow. He kept his mouth shut as they walked toward Danny’s farm truck, and he didn’t hesitate to open the tailgate for the boy to toss in his gear. After they settled inside the cab, Dan turned on the radio to break the uncomfortable silence he was sure would follow.

There was something about the boy that gave off a sadness Dan could recognize, for sure. He had the gloomiest expression Dan had ever seen, but there seemed to be a resolve of some sort that would peek through every so often. If Matt had hired him, Dan was sure the kid must be okay.

“So, you’re not a soldier, right?” Dan was pretty sure the boy was too young to be in the military.

Jase chuckled quietly. “Not even close. My dad’s career. I wasn’t ever going to live up to his definition of a real man, so I dipped.”

Danny was surprised, but it wasn’t all bad. Military life hadn’t been kind to him. He could understand the kid’s desire to get away, so he ignored the comment and powered forward. “So, you worked as a ranch hand somewhere before?”

When the boy all-out laughed, Dan turned. “What’s so goddamn funny?” There was more snap in his voice than he wanted, considering he’d met the guy about six minutes earlier. Finally, the kid quit laughing and turned to Dan, scrubbing his hands over his face before he removed the wool cap from his head. It was May and the wool cap seemed out of place.

“I’ve barely seen a horse up close. Mr. Collins hired me because I’m friends with Savannah Stanford. His husband, Tim, told me I could help him catch up on the computer work at the Circle C and the Katydid. They told me I might be needed at the barn sometimes, and I said I’d be more than happy to help with anything.”

Danny was ready to break windows because Matt and Tim had sent him to pick up his own personal slice of temptation. On top of it, Matt had lied to him and said the kid would be a horse hand. The boy was gorgeous and green as goat shit. He wouldn’t be anymore help on the ranch than tits on a bull.

Oh, Danny would definitely find a way to repay Matthew Collins for the deception. No doubt about it.

“This is the Circle C Ranch where you’ll work some of the time. I actually think you’re gonna live at the Katydid,thank God,” Danny explained, whispering the end of the sentence.

“Is this where Matthew Collins lives? I met him when he was in El Paso, and I was really impressed with him.” The boy’s comment brought a snort from Danny. He was sure the boy had a crush on his boss, and he couldn’t wait to see how the bull rider would handle it—the hot, young kid focused on him as the tech wizard watched. Dan knew Tim wouldn’t take it lightly, and he couldn’t wait to see the fireworks.

“Yep. I’m pretty sure he’s in the house, so let’s go up so you can meet him. Oh, I guess meet up with him again, in your case.” Dan was teasing, though it didn’t seem as though the boy caught on.

When the younger man followed him without question, Dan knew it was his opportunity to get back at his boss. He stopped the boy on the deck to take off his sneakers as Dan slipped off his boots. “We’ll have to get you some boots. What size?”

“I, uh, I wear a size twelve shoe, sir. I’ve never had boots.” Jase’s steady gaze mad Dan a little uncomfortable. He didn’t know why, but those damn blue eyes were penetrating.

“I’m Dan, notsir, okay? I’ll make sure somebody takes you to the Southern States to get some muck boots. Let’s go on in.”

They went into the house and found the kitchen empty, which was a surprise. “Oh, I guess everybody’s down at the barn. Let’s go.” They walked back out to put on their shoes. When Corky pounced on Dan, he laughed and patted the dog.

“This is Corky. He’s the ranch dog, and he’s a pain in the ass.” Dan affectionately ruffled the dog’s fur.

The laugh that came from Jason Langston made Dan stop in his tracks, his cock had started to plump up again as he watched the young man petting the dog. He’s a kid. He’s younger than Zach. Get your mind out of the fuckin’ gutter, you goddamn pervert.

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